The fact that Motorcycle journalists coined a generic term – Universal Japanese Motorcycle - to describe late 1960s-1970s Japanese bikes from several manufacturers over several years implies a pretty unassuming aesthetic. But the writers weren’t making fun or collectively branding them as having bland design. Instead, they were merely pointing out how similar each of the bikes look to one another thanks to several copy cat product entries released in quick succession from the likes of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. Many say that the 1969 Honda CB750 started the UJM trend, which is characterized by a standard seating position, chrome front fender, air-cooled inline 4, individual carburetors for each cylinder, telescoping front fork, featherbed-style frame, Integrated engine and gearbox, and front disk brakes.

Greetings—Nice bike! Question…Would my Suzuki 1982 GS850L qualify as a UJM? As a cruiser, It is not standard seating position, but being from the GS series of the past, I was curious about this. Thanks…